Bomberman Max 2: Red Advance

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The bombs blast again in this GBA adventure featuring the familiar Bomberman gameplay.

By Craig Harris

Bomberman made his debut on the Game Boy Advance as a launch title from Hudson and Activision in the form of Bomberman Tournament, a combination RPG and classic Bomberman multiplayer game all in one package. Almost exactly a year later, Majesco picks up the second GBA Bomberman adventure, a sequel to an original title released on the Game Boy Color about three years ago. Bomberman Max 2 isn't quite as good as Bomberman Tournament, but it's still an enjoyable title for players looking for moreof that familiar Bomberman-style gameplay.

Features

Five worlds

80 levels

Cartridge save (Three slots)

Link cable support (multi-boot and multicartridge modes)

Only for Game Boy Advance

Okay, so our heroes Bomberman and Max (introduced to the world in the original Bomberman Max game) show up to stop the bad guy Mujoe before he takes over the place...and the guy turns his weapon on the duo. The Mini Mini device as he calls it. What does it do? It shrinks them, of course...to itty-bitty proportions, like to the size of a bug. Now these micro-heroes have to destroy this machine in order to restore their normal size, but to do that they have to traverse as many as eighty different areas, bombing their way through the giant world to reach the goal.

Bomberman Max 2 is an extension of the familiar Bomberman gameplay...but instead of working against other Bomberman characters, you have to plant your bombs to destroy obstacles, create bridges, and defeat all sorts of different enemies before getting hit yourself, or letting the clock run out. Each of the game's five different worlds is divided up into 16 different areas...each area having a certain task to complete. The task can range from simply reaching the end level transporter, to destroying all the enemies, to destroying only certain enemies, to blowing up great big obstacles that are in the way. By destroying neutral blocks, you can pick up power-ups that will give your bomber the upper hand...these include items that give the ability to drop more bombs at once, increase the spread of your blast, make you walk faster, or offer a shield so your character can take a hit. You can also locate hidden Charabomb characters...this element gives the Bomberman design a very Pokemon feel; using these animal creatures during the single-player adventure will increase their abilities for if and when you want to take advantage of the link-cable battles against other Charabomb owners.

The game honestly doesn't change much that was established on the Game Boy Color...but it was a much more charming game on the 8-bit system. The sequel is a little on the slow side, and its gameplay restrictions are a lot more obvious this time around. For example, it's extremely frustrating to go through a lengthy challenge, only to be killed in a single touch by an enemy character...then it's right back to the beginning of the round to do it all over again. The canned enemy movements and reactions are also inconsistent, which makes it difficult to tell their specific patters. But the overall design is still pretty fun despite the sluggishness, simply because the development team didn't stray too far from the familiar Bomberman gameplay of the past. In fact, you might improve your skills in a Bomberman battle from completing specific tasks in Bomberman Max 2. But since you don't get the classic Bomberman multiplayer game in this package, those skills might be lost.

The graphics are a lot livelier in the GBA sequel, of course...but even here the development team didn't think some things through. The game features a more 3D feel with rendered characters and objects drawn at a slight angle...with all the objects you can go behind, it makes it extremely unfair when an enemy just kills you simply because you didn't know he was sitting in the blind spot.

Bomberman Max 2 offers several link cable modes that encourage players to get connected. Since the game comes in two flavors, certain Charabomb characters and levels can only be uncovered in one game, and not the other. The only way the non-acquirable levels and Charabombs can be stored on the cartridge is to trade them with the other version of the game. Players can also fight their Charabomb characters against each other in an arena fight...before the match, players choose a series of moves to go up against the other's series of moves. Sort of a rock-paper-scissors challenge.

The big disappointment, though, is the lame four-player match-up. Instead of offering the familiar and truly classic Bomberman battle that was included in Bomberman Tournament, Hudson instead built an original single-cartridge battle mode that's a lot like the Namco arcade game Mappy with bombs. This design has a lot of possibility, but in the end it's is incredibly unbalanced and dull.

The Verdict

Bomberman Max 2 is a good, solid game with gameplay that will appeal to folks who love the multiplayer Bomberman games...and who doesn't love those games? The game layout also encourages a lot of replay since you'll have to backtrack through completed levels to gain access to other levels and find all the hidden Charabom characters. But the action might be a little too slow-paced for some...and the unfair elements, like the hidden death spots, are a little too much to ignore. The link-up games are a little on the lame side, too, considering that the Bomberman name is synonymous with great multiplayer action. Still, this package has a lot of stuff to it, and it's a good buy for players looking for something that's not too "formula." But if you want the true Bomberman action, track down Bomberman Tournament.